Olympic medallist Richard Thompson says he is proud to have recorded his first sub-ten performance in two years at Saturday's IAAF World Challenge's Fanny Blankers-Keon, held in Hengelo, Netherlands.
The three-time Olympic medallist captured the men's 100 metres event in 9.95 seconds.
On his Facebook page, he posted, "Got another win tonight in Hengelo (Holland). This time a wind legal 9.95 seconds, my first sub-10 since the 2012 London Olympics...3rd fastest time in the World for 2014. Praises to the most high!"
In a G-Sport interview, he made it clear, however, that the gratifying weekend performance was not grounds for him to become over confident. The champion athlete said he needed to retain his level of calm and focus, as the remedial work he was now undergoing was helping him to achieve the desired rewards.
"It feels great to be under 10 seconds again. However, it's no time to celebrate or be content. There's still a lot of work to be done. That being said, I'm pleased with the direction things are heading in for the Commonwealth Games, which is my number one priority this year. Being at the Michael Johnson Performance Centre (MJPC) in Dallas, really, allowed me to channel my energy in the right direction. We identified what the problem was and devised a plan to directly deal with it. Beyond that, we were able to look at other weaknesses and strengthen them."
Thompson has gained access to the facilities at MJPC through an arrangement between the T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) and energy company BPTT.
He achieved the feat on the weekend of his birthday, which was spent traveling to Europe.
"So it was a bit satisfying to run well and make up for the day lost. There's still a lot of time for many people to improve, so I don't want to get ahead of myself and start prematurely claiming medals in Glasgow (Scotland) just yet.
"Everyone is still working hard and that's just what I plan to do as well, to give myself a fair shot of being in the mix. It will be interesting because we know the big guns always show up ready to the big show."
Late yesterday, Thompson won the 100m at the Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway in a time of 10.02 seconds.
